The Knitting All Around Stitch Dictionary

By Kay Gardiner 5/6/16

Dear Ann:

Today we are honored to be a whistle stop on the blog tour for Wendy Bernard’s latest book, The Knitting All Around Stitch Dictionary. I’m going to stand at the end of the virtual caboose and deliver a rousing virtual speech. Ready?

We love a stitch dictionary. I have honed and polished and Kon Mari’d my knitting library down to only the most useful, precious books that spark joy. Apart from sentimental favorites, such as all of Kaffe Fassett and our own two books (three if you count A Coloring Book For Knitters, which I totally do count), my bookshelf is a shrine to stitch dictionaries. I’ve got all the greats: Barbara Walker, Lesley Stansfield, Cecilia Campochiaro (kind of a stitch dictionary, kind of something completely different), and a whole stack of Japanese stitch dictionaries that are a dogeared, mind-blowing legacy from Belinda Boaden, who knew a good Japanese cable when she saw one.

Why do I have all these stitch dictionaries, when I so rarely design anything (and when I do design something, it generally involves a lot of garter stitch)? I don’t know, honestly. They just fascinate me. You can learn a lot from a stitch dictionary. Stitch dictionaries demystify the brickwork that supports the architecture of knitting. Like mathematical texts, they show off the brainy underpinnings of our craft, our collective curiosity and ingenuity. Just having them makes me feel like I know what I’m doing, or at least could find out.

I enjoy them. It’s as simple as that.

One thought that seeps in, on occasion, is the question: why aren’t stitch dictionaries more beautiful? Most of them are page after page of stitch grids (marked by hand in the older dictionaries), abbreviations and grainy black and white (or washed-out color) photos. They are not very inviting. Nobody picks up a stitch dictionary and is drawn in by the beauty.

Another thing that is lacking from a standard stitch dictionary is recognition that a stitch pattern can be worked any other way than flat (back and forth), and from the bottom up. Knitters don’t always knit that way. Sometimes you want to knit a sweater from the top down, and in the round, like the cool kids do. It’s work to mentally rejigger a flat, bottom-up stitch pattern so that it works in that situation.

In The Knitting All Around Stitch Dictionary,Wendy Bernard has elegantly solved both of these problems. The book is beautiful, with clear, colorful photos that make a pattern that might look dowdy and dated in black and white suddenly seem fresh as paint. You want to dive right in. You can see these patterns as hats, mittens, sweaters, and cushions (and the book provides basic patterns for several of these). Plus, all patterns are given bottom-up, top-down, flat and in-the-round. No more mental gymnastics to adapt a stitch pattern to the thing you want to make. One less thing to worry about.

What do we get for being a stop on the blog tour, you ask? We get to share the instructions for Geometric Curlicues, a mosaic knitting pattern, aka a two-color slip-stitch pattern. Behold:

This pattern makes me think of three things: Orla Kiely, dishcloths, and cushions. For a dishcloth, work it in garter. For a cushion, work it big, and in stockinette. (For another mosaic stitch dishcloth, try our Linoleum Dishcloth. SUCH FUN.)

Here are the charts:

(The black squares represent the color you designate as dark, and the white square the color designated as light.)

And here are the written instructions, with L representing light and D representing dark:

FLAT

(multiple of 16 sts + 3; 32-row repeat)

Using L, CO or work 1 row.

ROW 1 (RS): Using D, k1, *k7, slip 3, k6; repeat

from * to last 2 sts, k2.

ROW 2 AND ALL WS ROWS: Using current

color, knit or purl the purl sts and slip the

slipped sts as they face you.

ROW 3: Using L, k1, *slip 1, k5, slip 1, k9; repeat

from * to last 2 sts, slip 1, k1.

ROW 5: Using D, k1, *k1, slip 1, k3, slip 1, k1, slip

1, k5, slip 3; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.

ROW 7: Using L, k1, *[slip 1, k1] 4 times, [slip 1,

k3] twice; repeat from * to last 2 sts, slip 1, k1.

ROW 9: Using D, k1, *k1, slip 1, k5, slip 1; repeat

from * to last 2 sts, k2.

ROW 11: Using L, k1, *[slip 1, k3] twice, [slip 1, k1]

4 times; repeat from * to last 2 sts, slip 1, k1.

ROW 13: Using D, k1, *k5, slip 3, k1, slip 1, k3,

slip 1, k1, slip 1; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.

ROW 15: Using L, k1, *k8, slip 1, k5, slip 1, k1;

repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.

ROW 17: Using D, k1, *slip 2, k13, slip 1; repeat

from * to last 2 sts, slip 1, k1.

ROW 19: Using L, k1, *k2, slip 1, k5, slip 1, k7;

repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.

ROW 21: Using D, k1, *[k1, slip 1] twice, k3, slip 1,

k1, slip 3, k4; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.

ROW 23: Using L, k1, *[slip 1, k1] 4 times, [slip 1,

k3] twice; repeat from * to last 2 sts, slip 1, k1.

ROW 25: Repeat Row 9.

ROW 27: Repeat Row 11.

ROW 29: Using D, k1, *k1, slip 3, k5, slip 1, k1,

slip 1, k3, slip 1; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.

ROW 31: Using L, k1, *slip 1, k9, slip 1, k5;

repeat from * to last 2 sts, slip 1, k1.

ROW 32: Repeat Row 2.

Repeat Rows 1–32 for Geometric Curlicues Flat.

IN THE ROUND

(multiple of 16 sts; 32-rnd repeat)

Using L, CO or work 1 rnd.

RND 1: Using D, *k7, slip 3, k6; repeat from * to

end.

RND 2 AND ALL EVEN-NUMBERED RNDS:

Using current color, knit or purl the knit sts and

slip the slipped sts as they face you.

(RND 3: Using L, *slip 1, k5, slip 1, k9; repeat

from * to end.

RND 5: Using D, *k1, slip 1, k3, slip 1, k1, slip 1,

k5, slip 3; repeat from * to end.

RND 7: Using L, *[slip 1, k1] 4 times, [slip 1, k3]

twice; repeat from * to end.

RND 9: Using D, *k1, slip 1, k5, slip 1; repeat

from * to end.

RND 11: Using L, *[slip 1, k3] twice, [slip 1, k1] 4

times; repeat from * to end.

RND 13: Using D, *k5, slip 3, k1, slip 1, k3, slip 1,

k1, slip 1; repeat from * to end.

RND 15: Using L, *k8, slip 1, k5, slip 1, k1; repeat

from * to end.

RND 17: Using D, *slip 2, k13, slip 1; repeat from

* to end.

RND 19: Using L, *k2, slip 1, k5, slip 1, k7; repeat

from * to end.

RND 21: Using D, *[k1, slip 1] twice, k3, slip 1, k1,

slip 3, k4; repeat from * to end.

RND 23: Using L, *[slip 1, k1] 4 times, [slip 1, k3]

twice; repeat from * to end.

RND 25: Repeat Rnd 9.

RND 27: Repeat Rnd 11.

RND 29: Using D, *k1, slip 3, k5, slip 1, k1, slip 1,

k3, slip 1; repeat from * to end.

RND 31: Using L, *slip 1, k9, slip 1, k5; repeat

from * to end.

RND 32: Repeat Rnd 2.

Repeat Rnds 1–32 for Geometric Curlicues in

the Round.

(Phew!)

Mosaic knitting is so easy, but I never would have thought of it myself, in a million years. Have at it!

Congratulations, Wendy Bernard, on another beautiful book that knitters will turn to for years to come.

Kay and Ann,
Happy Friday! Every morning before I leave my house for work, I make some time to catch myself up with online news and banking, and I rarely leave without stopping by MDK. It is such a joy to discover a new post each day containing interesting ideas, books, patterns, and fun, plus the community of knitters in the comments. Thanks for your commitment to us! –Tammy

I was taught to knit by my mother as a child, and my technique was improved with the help of my high school choir director. However, I became a “real” knitter in the 70’s (my young adult years) when I was able to buy a Mon Tricot stitch dictionary with 1030 (!!) knitting and crochet stitches. A French knitting publication, long out of print but available, in English, in the United states for awhile in the 70’s, this was my key to learning how to do everything…or at least what I thought was everything at the time. I still use it. The pictures are in black and white (strangely easy to follow, however), and with no charts, but everything is covered, from lace to mosaic knitting to fair isle. It still sits in a place of honor, beside all those other books you mentioned; can’t think of parting with it.

Great cover on the Wendy Bernard book! Nice to see a SD with a bit of style/graphic appeal.

Kay…re: Museum of Natural History – that is such a cool job! The giant Coast Salish Canoe is one of my favorite things – anywhere. It had to be shipped to NYC by sea. And the dim Coast Salish gallery with
all the display cases seems like no one has been down there since the 1890’s. Spooky, but beautiful.

A total must-have. In fact, I just bought it with my fabulous (and dangerous) Prime one-click shopping. But really, how many times have I tried to wrap my head around adapting an interesting stitch or colorwork from flat to round, or vice versa? It isn’t always easy, so thank you for sharing this, Kay. Have a lovely weekend. First day of our local Farmers Mkt. here, so we are off to a good one.

P.S. You were in a dream I had last night. It involved EF and Manhattan. It probably has to do with my wanting to get out of Dodge….

You summed up my love and collection of stitch dictionaries so very very well! Hmm … I think I have a bookstore coupon …especially if it does show you how to translate to knitting in the round, etc. – as I have had many a night taxing my brain with such a problem.
Thanks!

p.s. — one of my Rav flatmates, who lives near Maryland Sheep and Wool says that it beyond muddy … so forewarned is prepared, or however the saying goes. Have FUN!

I love stitch dictionaries, it’s like watching TV about food, you just drool over the possibilties. I still have a 50 year old stitch dictionary that was my first introduction to the joy of stitch dictionaries. Before charts, no knitting in the round.

What’s on my shelves? The Vogue Knitting Ultimate knitting book and VK sock book, which have color photos and charts in the stitch pattern chapters. (I believe that VK’s individual “stitchionaries” do too, but don’t own those). I also have a cool Vogue Dictionary of Knitting Stitches (note, that’s Vogue, not VK) by Anne Matthews, published in 1984 in the UK, great color pictures but no charts, alas. I still love to browse through it, even so. And of course, Barbara Walker’s Treasuries volumes 1 and 2, still endlessly inspiring despite b&w photography and lack of charts. But I’m always ready to explore more stitches, so thanks for the heads-up on this book – I’ll borrow it from my local library first, of course, and if they haven’t yet bought it will suggest they do so.

And what about crochet stitch books? I’m getting back into crochet, too, and greatly admire Sasha Kagan’s Crochet Inspirations (not to mention Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Crochet, which as title suggests is also a complete tutorial). May have to own these, instead of borrowing them over and over again from the library . . .

Who doesn’t always need a new stitch dictionary? Of course, I do! And I already bought it! Plus, I love Wendy’s for the up/down/all-around part. I mean, usually you can figure it out on your own, but it’s so much better if someone else does it for you, right?

My knitting group is making this year’s raffle afghan from two color squares found in Barbara Walker’s learn to knit book. Some of the squares I chose turned out to utilize the slip stitch and, yes. reminded me of the dear Ball Band Washcloth . I really enjoyed knitting the Blister Stitch square.